Leo woke up feeling cramps in his stomach. He felt empty, like a hollow shell screaming to be filled.
"Wait a second… my stomach hurts?? Aren't I dead?" he thought as he opened his eyes.
Leo realized he was sitting in a reclining armchair. Looking around, he saw what he assumed was the smallest and oldest apartment he had ever seen.
Yet somehow, the apartment was clean and tidy, making him think that despite its age and size, the owner was a disciplined person.
As Leo was about to stand up from the armchair, he heard a sound in his head.
[Ding…]
[20%]
[40%]
[90%]
[Host Bound!]
[Synchronization Complete.]
[Welcome, Host. I am a Business Management System (BMS) granted by the Origin Protocol. By virtue of the Karmic Debt accumulated by the Host in his previous life—]
"What? System? Origin? Karma?" he thought.
Leo was incredibly confused by everything happening in rapid succession. He had just woken up with stomach pain and was certain he had died in a car accident. He decided not to dwell on his death for now and instead reflect.
'First of all, I died. Second, I woke up in an unfamiliar apartment, and from what I've deduced from the system, I've been reincarnated. Third, I have a system from the Origin Protocol, whatever that means, because of karma? Karma… if I remember correctly, it's a concept from Eastern religions (Hinduism, Buddhism) that refers to the universal law of cause and effect: every action, thought, or intention generates a consequence that influences current life and future rebirths. Well, that's what I can recall,' Leo thought.
[Yes, Host. The reasoning you have presented aligns with the universal records.: Everything you have thought is true.]
"What?? You can hear my thoughts?"
[Yes. After all, I am connected to your soul.]
"I think I can accept that…"
Leo had read some novels about systems before, so he had some knowledge about them, though he didn't remember everything.
"System, how did I gain enough karma to be reborn when I was just a normal man?"
[The Host's death in a car accident while saving the life of a young girl changed everything. A wealthy couple, moved by your dedication, took over the orphanage where you worked, expanding its support to thousands of children who now have food and hope thanks to you.]
Hearing this moved Leo deeply, knowing he had helped those children. He took a moment to compose himself as emotions surged through him.
Five minutes later, once he felt better, Leo asked:
"System, what is the Origin Protocol?"
[Host, the Origin Protocol is $%#%̈%$]
He couldn't understand anything—it was all incomprehensible gibberish. So he waited for the system to explain.
[Host, you cannot understand because your existence is not meant to comprehend such information. In simpler terms, the Origin Protocol is a universal matrix that oversees and governs the multiverse.]
Leo somehow grasped the explanation roughly. He paused, then his eyes widened in realization.
"Wait a moment… the multiverse? The multiverse is real??" he asked quickly.
[Yes, the multiverse is real. The Host is currently in a different universe.]
[Ding! Memories available.]
[Do you wish to access the memories? YES or NO]
[WARNING! Accessing memories will cause immense pain. Proceed with caution.]
"Wow, I was so excited about being alive that I forgot I'm in a different body."
Leo stood up to examine himself. He saw that he was about 1.80 meters tall and extremely thin—skin and bones. He had long blonde hair that looked like straw. He searched for a mirror and found one in the corner of the room.
As he approached, still feeling the pain in his stomach, he looked at his reflection—and damn, he looked terrible. His entire body and face screamed malnutrition.
'I think the original owner had a very hard life.'
His face was actually quite handsome, but the lack of nutrition made him look awful. He sighed and returned to the armchair, wanting to understand how things had gotten to this point.
"System, merge the memories," Leo said in his mind, bracing himself for the pain.
For a moment, he felt nothing. Then suddenly, the pain hit his head. It was so intense that even compared to being hit by a car, it was the worst pain he had ever experienced.
"Aarrrghhhhhh!" he screamed.
He endured the pain until it subsided, then lay on the couch, gasping for air.
"Oh my God… that was worse than I imagined… But at least now I know why the owner of this body was so miserable," Leo said, still breathing heavily.
From the memories, he learned that in this life, he had the same first name—Leonardo—but a different surname: Leonardo Hayes. He was now ten years younger than when he died, making him eighteen years old.
In this life, he was an orphan, but the difference was that he had a younger sister, fifteen years old, named Isabella Hayes.
A curious fact was that Isabella was not his biological sister. His parents had adopted her when she was six, but they loved her as if she were their own.
His parents had died five years ago, when he was thirteen.
Since then, he had worked hard to provide for his sister. The inheritance left by their parents wasn't much, and they had no close relatives, so Leo had to work.
The original owner of the body struggled in school because of his job and had no time to study, but he still managed to reach his final year of high school.
But today had been an incredibly unlucky day. He had been fired from his job and hadn't yet paid next month's rent. When he returned home, realizing that his sister might starve, he began hyperventilating and suffered a heart attack from the stress.
That was the moment Leo's soul crossed over and took over his body.
Leo sighed at the misfortune of the body's original owner.
'I may not be you, but I promise I will never let Isabella starve and will make her live like a queen.'
Suddenly, Leo felt as if the last lingering will in this body had faded away, relieved that his sister would now be in capable hands.